\documentclass[reqno]{amsart} \usepackage{hyperref} \AtBeginDocument{{\noindent\small \emph{Electronic Journal of Differential Equations}, Vol. 2014 (2014), No. 221, pp. 1--6.\newline ISSN: 1072-6691. URL: http://ejde.math.txstate.edu or http://ejde.math.unt.edu \newline ftp ejde.math.txstate.edu} \thanks{\copyright 2014 Texas State University - San Marcos.} \vspace{9mm}} \begin{document} \title[\hfilneg EJDE-2014/221\hfil Second-order differential equations] {Solution to second-order differential equations with discontinuous right-hand side} \author[A. M. Kamachkin, D. K. Potapov, V. V. Yevstafyeva \hfil EJDE-2014/221\hfilneg] {Alexander M. Kamachkin, Dmitriy K. Potapov, Victoria V. Yevstafyeva} % in alphabetical order \address{Alexander M. Kamachkin \newline Saint Petersburg State University, 7-9, University emb., 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia} \email{akamachkin@mail.ru} \address{Dmitriy K. Potapov \newline Saint Petersburg State University, 7-9, University emb., 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia} \email{potapov@apmath.spbu.ru} \address{Victoria V. Yevstafyeva \newline Saint Petersburg State University, 7-9, University emb., 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia} \email{vica@apmath.spbu.ru} \thanks{Submitted January 16, 2014. Published October 21, 2014.} \subjclass[2000]{34A34, 34A36, 34C11, 34C60} \keywords{Discontinuous nonlinearity; phase trajectories; existence of solutions} \begin{abstract} We consider an ordinary differential equation of second order with discontinuous nonlinearity relative to the phase variable. Phase trajectories are studied. We establish a theorem on the existence of a continuum set for nontrivial solutions and the theorem on the boundedness of solutions. \end{abstract} \maketitle \numberwithin{equation}{section} \newtheorem{theorem}{Theorem}[section] \newtheorem{corollary}[theorem]{Corollary} \allowdisplaybreaks \section{Introduction and statement of problem} Over a number of years differential equations with discontinuous right sides have attracted researchers' attention. Equations with discontinuous nonlinearities are of interest on both theoretical and practical grounds. The problem on existence of solutions for the Sturm-Liouville task with discontinuous nonlinearity is considered in \cite{carl8}--\cite{pot38}. The applications of such problems are shown in \cite{pot18,pot40}, and other papers. Periodic solutions of second-order differential equations with discontinuous right sides are studied in \cite{jacquemard,nyzhnyk}. This paper extends this research. We study the existence of solutions to the second-order ordinary differential equation with discontinuous nonlinearity of the form \begin{gather} -u''=g(x,u(x)), \quad x\in \mathbb{R}, \label{kp1} \\ g(x, u)=\begin{cases} m_1 & \text{for } u0$ ($i=1,2$); then the phase trajectories consist of parabola pieces. The branches of the parabolas are directed aside opposite to the positive direction of the $Ou$-axis. From any initial point on the half-plane $u'>k$ the representative point reaches the switching line and then along the parabola on the half-plane $u'k$ the representative point moves along the parabolic trajectory to infinity ($u\to +\infty$). If the initial point is on the half-plane $u'0$. Suppose $m_1$ and $m_2$ have opposite signs. \emph{Case 3.} To be precise, let $m_1<0$, $m_2>0$. Then from any initial point that belongs to the phase plane and does not to the line $u'=k$ the representative point comes to the straight line $u'=k$ along the parabolic trajectory. The phase trajectories are of ``parabola'' type. \emph{Case 4.} Now we assume that $m_1>0$, $m_2<0$. From any initial point on $u'>k$ the representative point extends to infinity ($u\to +\infty$) along the parabola, if on $u'0$), then the representative point moves to infinity ($u\to +\infty$) along the straight line parallel to the $Ou$-axis. However, if the initial point is on the half-plane $u'0$, then the representative point goes to infinity ($u\to +\infty$) along the straight lines parallel to the $Ou$-axis. Here the $Ou$-axis is a set of equilibrium points. If the initial point is from the set $k0$. Obviously, the qualitative picture of splitting the phase plane into trajectories is not changed in comparison with the previous case, but pieces of the parabolic trajectories lie on the upper half-plane. The types of the phase trajectories are the same as above. Really, if the initial point belongs to the half-plane $u'>k$ ($k>0$), then the representative point comes to the line $u'=k$ along the parabolic trajectories and goes to infinity ($u\to +\infty$) along this straight line. On the other hand, from any initial point on the set $0k$, then along the parabolic trajectory the representative point comes to the line $u'=k$ and along this line it goes to infinity ($u\to -\infty$). But if the initial point is on the half-plane $u'0$. If the initial point belongs to the plane $u'\geq k$, then the representative point goes to infinity ($u\to +\infty$) along the parabolic trajectory. The representative point moves to infinity ($u\to +\infty$) along the straight lines parallel to the $Ou$-axis when $00$, $m_2=0$. This case differs from Case~5 in motion directions along the parabolic trajectories. For example, let $k>0$. If the initial point belongs to the half-plane $u'\geq k$, then the representative point moves to infinity ($u\to +\infty$) along the straight lines parallel to the $Ou$-axis. If $u'0$, then the representative point goes to infinity ($u\to +\infty$) along the straight lines parallel to the $Ou$-axis. Here the straight line $u'=0$ is a set of equilibrium points. If $k\leq u'<0$, then the representative point goes to infinity ($u\to -\infty$) along the straight lines parallel to the $Ou$-axis. If the initial point is taken from the set $u'0$. If the initial point belongs to either $u'\geq k$ or $00$, then the representative point moves to infinity ($u\to +\infty$) along the straight lines parallel to the $Ou$-axis. The straight line $u'=0$ is a set of equilibrium points. If the initial point is taken from $k0$, $f(x)=kx+b$, $k\neq 0$. Then for each point of the switching line there exists a neighborhood such that switching of the phase trajectory pieces in it does not lead to qualitative change of the phase trajectories in the whole. \end{corollary} As established above, nontrivial solutions of problem \eqref{kp1}, \eqref{kp2} belong to the class of piecewise smooth functions. The phase trajectories are ``sewed'' on continuity on the curve $u'=\psi(u)$ to which the set $\{x\in \mathbb{R}: u(x)=f(x)\}$ is assigned. \section{Boundedness} Further, let the function $g:\Omega\times\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}$, where $\Omega\subset \mathbb{R}$ is a bounded connected set. Then the set of points $\{(\psi(u),u): x\in\Omega, \; u(x)=f(x)\}$ has zero measure and is closed with respect to the closed set $\Omega$. In particular, this is fair for the set $\Omega=[x_1,x_2]$ ($x_1, x_2\in \mathbb{R}$, $x_1